Find out what happened when Christie’s challenged myself and Christopher Howe to furnish an empty room in their King Street galleries, using pieces offered in their Interiors sale on 31 January which totalled, including buyer’s premium, GBP 1,753,250.

Fabrice Bana: ‘For this space, I created a maximalist vignette that is quite luxurious, uniting elements from a wide range of cultures and time periods. All together, it’s colourful and joyous, with lots of different textures and materials. I imagined that the person who would be living in this room would be a well-travelled aesthete, with many stories about where they picked up each of these items, and have a good sense of humour.’

How does this look reflect your design philosophy?

FB: ‘You could describe me as an emotional interior designer; there’s something very organic in the way I approach everything I do. Here I started with the Tuschinsky-style handwoven wool carpet from 1920, on the wall, and added elements that drew out its colours.

‘I also wanted there to be a great deal of movement in the room, so I added the smaller, square rug on the floor [a 19th-century part-pile Veramin Ru-Khorsi rug], on which I put a round table [a mid-19th-century parcel-gilt and black japanned breakfast table]. That allows you to walk through the space in a circle, so there’s a sense of fluidity.’

What’s your favourite piece in the room?

FB: ‘I would have to say Otto Pilny’s Oriental Beauty Dancing, from 1913, which was done in the Orientalist style. I love the composition and the colours — there’s an amazing orange glow in the background, and there’s a lot of movement. ‘It’s quite textural, too: you can see the embroidery in the dancer’s dress. It’s a big painting, which makes it quite striking. I imagine that every time you looked at this work, the dancer would put a smile on your face.’

FB: ‘‘Go with your gut. I often like to start with an antique or bespoke rug and then decorate with colours and textures that complement it. But the end result has to be comfortable — there’s no point living somewhere that looks like a museum, where you can’t touch anything. Above all, a room should reflect who you are and how you live. When I design a space, I always think about who will be living in it. I think a bit of wit, a bit of humour, and having stories to tell are important, too.’

I was briefly interviewed by the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour last Monday during Design Week 2018 after my talk with Jean-Louis Deniot to discuss his furniture collaboration Sparkx with Marc de Berny at their showroom (see previous post).

Come and join me on Monday 5 March at 5pm at the Marc de Berny showroom at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre where I will be in conversation with international interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot to talk about his Sparkx collection and interior design, followed by the book signing of his book Jean-Louis Deniot Interiors. To secure your place: RSVP events@marcdeberny.com